Aug/Sep 2005 - Barung Landcare

Who is the farmer
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
by Jackie Montgomery
Primary producers are an important aspect of our
landscape, an important part of the Australian
economy, and have a vital job growing the food
we eat each day. Some of you may remember the
stickers that said ‘Thank a farmer for your next
meal’.
These days you don’t find farmers walking
around town in their gumboots, or driving around
in tractors (unless you are stuck behind one on
the road!). So how would you know a farmer
when you saw one There used to be so many in
the area. At one time all the landholders in the
Maleny district were farmers – dairy farmers.
They were the original community.
I’m very fortunate with my role at Barung. I’ve
been out and about talking to our local dairy
farmers – we’ve been getting to know one
another. It is great to get to know those who spend
most of their life on the land and produce the
goods to feed Australia’s non-farming
community. I’ve heard it said that there is a ‘them
and us’ mentality when it comes to the farming
community and the rest of the population, but I
tend to disagree. Personally, I think it is more to
do with living different lifestyles and a lack of
communication between many sectors of our now
semi-rural/suburban community. Building
friendships and good communication are so
important in every community.
Here’s a story of a day in the life of a Maleny
dairy farm. Farms and farmers are not all the
same. Larger dairy farms will have to put in
longer hours and will often have more than one
worker.
A Dairy Farmer’s Day
Garry Martin is a local dairy farmer. He works a small dairy farm of 83 acres and
agists 40 acres of the adjoining property. There are between 60 and 70 cows to
milk of a morning and evening. The cows need milking 7 days a week.
5.30 am (ish): Milking, feeding, preparation. Cows are mustered and brought to
the milking shed. Mothers with very young calves are separated from the rest of
the herd and put in the calf pen so the calves can feed. Eight milking machines
milk eight cows at a time. Firstly udders are washed, and then the milking cups are
placed on them. As one set of cows finish another set is brought in. Once all milking
is completed, the machines are rinsed out and the shed is hosed out. The larger
calves are given molasses and grain in a trough. Electric fences in the strip-grazing
area are moved.
8.30 am (ish): Breakfast at last.
Between milking: This is the time for general farm maintenance work. Work
includes fence maintenance, machinery maintenance, cleaning up creeks, weed
removal, and putting fertilisers on the pasture if it looks like rain. The milk truck
comes every other day to pick up milk for processing.
3 pm: Time for milking again.
6 pm (ish): The working day is usually finished.
A relief milker comes in to milk the cows if Garry is sick, away or goes on holiday.
Most of the time he does the work himself. The fresh air, being one’s own boss and
the healthy lifestyle makes dairy farming an enjoyable job in Garry’s eyes. His
wife has a job off the farm. Milk prices have been low for many years, but this
farmer feels there is a future in dairying – prices have to pick up soon because
demand will outgrow the supply, and too many farmers are leaving dairying.
LET’S GET TOGETHER
• Meet others
• Share knowledge
• Work together
• Participate
• Support each other
• Have fun!
JOIN OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL
DISCUSSION GROUP
Phone Barung to find out more!
By Chris Madden from his recent book The Beast that Ate The Earth
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